PlayStation 4 will let you play PS3 games via cloud

Playing with Sony PlayStation 4 is a bit different from what we are used to. While it supports games from Blu-ray discs, the upcoming next-gen console will also allow gamers to play through Gaikai, a cloud-based service that provides downloadable content and games.

Will you be able to play titles released for PlayStation 3 on your PS4? Sure, you can, but word is that Sony plans on putting PS3 games into Gaikai. It is only a question of when, but Sony has given it a tease.

According to Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony Worldwide Studios, the cloud service for PS3 games for the PlayStation 4 will be available in North America as early as simply “2014”, ruling out the possibility of rolling the service out on PS4’s launch on November 15.

Yoshida did not discuss pricing and kept mum on whether owning a physical or digital copy of a PS3 game would factor into the pricing plans. He contrasted the Gaikai service with Netflix, adding that Sony would have to launch a solid lineup of PS4 games if it wants to bring gamers back into the console instead of mobile devices. PlayStation 4 games can be played on the upcoming console, as well as on PS Vita or Vita TV.

While some gamers may find it convenient not to hassle about where to keep physical copies of PS4 games, bear in mind that as a cloud streaming service, Gaikai passes along a compressed video stream of a game rendered on a remote server. Your experience playing a PlayStation 4 game on the cloud would depend on the speed of your Internet connection.